


Surface Level

by Maddie_leighh



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Creature Fic, Creature Harry Potter, Good Slytherins, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hermion Granger & Draco Malfoy co-workers.. sort of., Legilimency (Harry Potter), M/M, Magical Accidents, Magizoology (Harry Potter), Mystery, POV Draco Malfoy, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, Powerful Harry, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, legimens!draco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25367182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maddie_leighh/pseuds/Maddie_leighh
Summary: Draco Malfoy is an up and coming Magizoologist Healer in the new somewhat up and coming new Ministry District CDEC - Corporation of Dangerous and Endangered Creatures - and just received one of the most intriguing and bizarre cases to date.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Draco Malfoy and the Black Panther

Steps echoed down the long dark, damp hallway as Draco Malfoy walked briskly to the underground dungeons. His hand slipped over his wand holster, ensuring that his wand was in reachable distance. Walking through the high arched doorway Draco was hit with the scent of piss and something rotten.

"This better be worth it. You know I don't do well without my eight hours." He spoke softly to the dark haired man that was waiting for him at the entrance, leaning against the doorway.

The man smirked up at him, "You know I wouldn't disturb you at this hour unless it was, boss." 

Draco glanced at the cages around him, "The creature? Where is he?" 

His assistant's lips quirked up even higher, "Down the way.. he has a bit of a temper. They had to put him in complete holding."

"Complete holding?" Draco asked as he followed the man towards the door at the end of the cages. "He is powerful?" 

The man nodded, his hair shifting out of place, "Yes. He has shown great strength. In more ways than one." he looked around nervously, "I can't explain all until we get him out."

Draco nodded, pushing open the door. Three men stood at the entrance watching the pair walk in with somber faces. 

"Mister Malfoy." The tallest of the three spoke.

Draco placed his signature sneer on, "I believe you know why I am here?" 

"We do. The question is what will you give us in return?" 

"You know as well as I do that I always do even exchanges, Marcus. I, in fact, have already leveled our playing grounds." Draco reached into his robes slowly, pulling out a file. "Bring this to Matthew Gregory and he will gladly take care of the little _situation_ you are in with the Ministry." 

The men stood silent as Marcus flipped through the papers. After a moment he nodded to his lackeys and walked towards the exit. 

The two men pulled out their wands and began releasing the wards surrounding the large cage behind them. They then walked out without a single glance at Draco nor the creature. 

At first glance the cage looked completely vacant. It wasn't until Draco stepped closer and heard a low growl coming from the far corner that he noticed the large black creature strapped down by shimmering chains. It's ears laid flat against his head, his claws menacingly scratching the floor with razor sharp talons, his tail swung aggravatingly behind him, sending dirt and dust around the cage. The creature's dark green eyes were in slits, daring the two men to come closer. 

"Beauty isn't he?"

Draco turned towards his companion, jumping slightly at the reminder that he wasn't alone. "Gorgeous. Where did they find him?"

"They wouldn't exactly say. I tried everything to get it out of them but all they would say about it is that they found him 'around'. Seeing as he is a very large panther of some sort I'm not very certain what they mean by that, boss."

Draco faced the cage once more, rolling his eyes at the blubbering idiots that caught the cat, "Thomas, those men don't know how to give a straight answer even if someone was answering for them. Truly, it doesn't matter too much about where, if he is as strong and powerful as you insinuated I'd more like to know how they captured him."

Thomas shrugged, "'The caged ones finally have caged the un-cage-able.'" Draco turned to look at the other man with a quirked eyebrow. "That's what they kept saying." 

With a questioning hum, Draco began taking small, tentative steps towards the caged cat. The panther's eyes tracked every movement of Draco's body, ears laying back further upon his head and sharp, glistening teeth baring with a low growl. Draco stopped when he was only a few feet away from the cage and slowly lowered himself to a squat. 

"Hello," He whispered softly. "I know you are scared, but don't worry, we will get you out of here and running free in no time." Draco slid one foot closer, leaning his body towards the cage. At this angle he was able to see that along with the charmed chains around the cat's body, a thicker bronze chain wrapped tightly around the cat's muscular neck. He recognized it instantly as the binding chains they use to limit a creatures' magical powers. "Thomas, you said he is powerful in more ways than one.. what exactly did you mean by that?"

Thomas stepped closer to Draco's side, wand clutched tightly in his hand, "He is gifted. He can move things around with a thought, he can hurt people without touching them. Flippio, one of Marcus' guys, got hit by what he described as an intense Stinging Hex when they captured the cat. They ran a few scans on him and told that they found no trance of wizardry or witch in the cat but you know the intelligence they hold so I wouldn't take their word." 

Draco nodded, standing up slowly, "Therefore, no Animagus traits." Thomas nodded his head. 

Draco slipped his wand out, "Let's get him sedated and out of here and then we can see what we are working with and what we can do for him." 

The second Draco lifted his wand, the panther lunged towards the bars, growling and attempting to claw at the air. The chains' shimmering effect halted and then sparked, the cat falling back towards the ground in a whimper as the shock the chains threw subsided. 

Thomas jumped back with a squeal when the cat pounced, but Draco stood stock still staring at the injured cat. 

Taking a shallow breath, he stepped closer to the bars, pausing only for a moment to see the cat's reaction, before unlocking the cage door and walking through. The cat let of out a low rumble in warning. Draco crouched down again before speaking softly to the animal, "I understand you are afraid. But you don't have to fear us, we are here to help you. My mate and I rescue ones like you for our share. We won't hurt you, we want to help you." 

The panther's breathing slowed down with every soft, enchanted word Draco spoke. Draco stared down into the darkened green eyes, pushing calming thoughts to the forefront of his mind, letting them slip from his to the black cat's blocked off one. The cat's eyes slowly closed.

Draco nodded softly to Thomas before raising his arm again, whispering the soft incantation. 

*****

Draco wasn't exactly sure when his love for saving animals began. As a child even being in the same vicinity as a small creature would strike fear into his heart, yet in his adult life he often found himself getting into dangerous situations in order to help a creature in need. He knew when he began to respect other creatures; he even had vague idea on why he began loving them, but when he decided consciously - or subconsciously, to put other animals lives above his own, he couldn't be certain.

His former therapist, as well as his mother, seem to believe his selflessness towards creatures thrives from Draco thinking his life isn't worth anything, therefore he is willing to put it on the line for other creatures. But Draco knows the true reasons on why of what he does what he does. When standing before a dangerous animal, when all of his adrenaline is pumping through his system, his mind stops. It blanks on every aspect of life besides the will to survive as well as the will to help and understand the challenging beast in front of him. Being in the presence of dangerous, often times finicky, creatures, is the only time Draco truly feels alive. No war, no past, no broken engagements, no estranged friends, no thoughts, no other worries pass through his mind when face to face with a creature. All he sees and feels and thinks about is the creature in front of him and how he can form his mind and body to allow the creatures to relax and to let Draco in to provide help. It's the thrill of an often deadly challenge.

When he first began working with animals, he started off large dealing with dragons out in Romania, after being sent there by the Ministry for a year as a form of community service to pay his debts for his hand in the war. The Ministry said it was to help out with the large number of dragons that had formed in the areas and to help him learn responsibility for ones own actions. Draco thinks he was sent there in hopes that he would accidentally catch on fire or get trampled by the winged beast. Sadly, neither of them happened. If anything, the opposite happened. Draco fell in love with the beasts. Many times he wondered if his year in Romania was what sparked his saving-creatures love, but thinking back he would realize how this obsession started much sooner than that. Maybe during the war, or perhaps even before that? He never could be sure. As the year of his services closed, Draco knew he couldn't go back home, not yet, so when given the opportunity to stay in Romania and continue his work, he jumped at the chance, only coming back to his home land a little after a year later due to his father falling ill. After his Father passed, he gravely wished he could return to his dragons, but knew in his heart he couldn't leave his mother to mourn alone. 

Through the two and a half years he worked with the dragons, he slowly felt himself becoming addicted to the sensations of the adrenaline pumping through his body and mind every time he came close to the creatures. Addicted to the feel of their own magic flowing around Draco and his own. For the first time since the war began, he felt alive again. And he loved the feeling. Nearly five years since his first encounter with a dragon, Draco finds himself working for an un-official-official corporation, now some-what funded by the Ministry, known as _CDEC_ \- Corporation of Dangerous and Endangered Creatures; where he gets to save and protect a variety of different creatures who the Ministry deem unworthy. At least that's who he treated at first, through the years the corporation grew nearly as large as the Ministry's of Magical Creatures Department. Nowadays, the ministry would send the too dangerous or hard to crack cases to the _CDEC._ The Ministry still barely recognizes their work - often giving the credit to the solved cases to their own official Departments, but Draco's team couldn't care less about credit as long as the animals were safe and well taken care of. 

Draco has had a long rode with the _CDEC_ and the Ministry since his arrival back to Britain, but at this point in his life Draco couldn't think of a single other place he would rather be. 

That's why, as he stood in the misty opened floor found in the forefront of the densely packed rain forest-charmed room, he felt true peace washing over himself where most people would only feel fear. Laying in front of him was the large black cat he had rescued only a few hours prior, voided of all restraints except the magical binder. Many people, including the other trainers, call him crazy for never fully binding or chaining up his charges when he has his first interacts with them, but Draco feels it allows the animal to realize that Draco isn't a threat and allows them to not feel trapped, even if they are stuck in a charmed room. 

Looking at the animal, now vacant of all chains, he was able to see just how beautiful the panther really was. His short black fur sat on top of even blacker skin which outline every inch of the cat's taunt muscles. Even in the panther's stillness you could see the large amounts of muscles laying underneath the soft fur, can feel the hostile energy radiating off the slumbering beast.

Draco grabbed his wand, slowly levitating a large metal dish, full to the brim with meats, towards the sleeping cat. If calculations were correct, the panther should be up any minute now. 

As Draco levitated a bowl of water towards the cat, the large green eyes of the panther flew open and stared straight at Draco without even lifting his head. 

Draco slowly placed the water by the food dish and lowered his wand. "Good morning." He said brightly. 

The panther's right ear twitched at the words while the rest of him laid still watching Draco intensely with his dark green eyes. 

Draco lowered his body to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed, placing his wand in his lap. "You must have been tired. You slept for a good twelve hours." The panther's ear twitched again, stare not wavering. "You have very intense eyes, you know." Draco paused for a moment, giving the cat a chance for action. When the panther didn't move a muscle, he continued. "I brought you some food and water. They are in those dishes over there." At this, the panther's nose twitched slightly. "I wasn't sure exactly what you liked so I arranged for a little bit of everything we have on hand. There is deer, antelope, fish and eggs." 

The panther stared for a moment longer before glancing at the dishes laid out beside him. He slowly stood and walked closer to the dishes, keeping his eyes on Draco, even as he settled into his meal. 

Draco sat quietly observing the magnificent creature before him. He has had history with many types of creatures, has helped and rehabilitated all sorts of magical and non-magical creatures alike, but besides only one instant of an Animagus, who was stuck mid-transformation of his lynx form when Draco first arrived at _CDEC_ , he has never had the opportunity to fully treat a wild cat. Draco felt a shiver run through his blood as he thought about all the new challenges he soon will be facing. If there is one thing Draco has always known about himself, it was that he loved a good challenge. Also, seeing as his Animagus was that of the feline species, it will be very interesting to learn more about his larger family. 

When the panther's bowl was completely clean and he was working on his bowl of water, Draco slowly rose onto his knees. The panther raised his head as Draco raised his body.

Draco stared into the cat's eyes, slowly coaxing the feline's mind open, but with no luck. As he probed at the panther's mind, he felt a strong wall surrounding it in it's entirety. _Odd_ , he thought. No other animal he has ever treated has had a wall built up like this one has. Even the Animagus have trouble with _Occlumency_ in their full forms, especially keeping up a wall this strong. 

After a few moments of a stare-off, the cat growled softly and turned away from Draco, climbing up into one of the tall trees. 

Draco leaned back, sighing. Deciding to cut his losses, he slowly stood, collecting the food bowl and refilled the water dish, hoping that tomorrow he could begin working on breaking down a few of the cat's walls. 

*****

"Who's the new pet, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked as Draco walked up to the small rustic table she sat at, pulling out a seat and sitting across from his childhood friend and Pansy's boyfriend of four years, Blaise Zabini. 

"How is it that you always know when I have a new charge?" He questioned as he unwrapped his straw.

For the passed two years Draco and his friends have eaten dinner together once every first Friday of the month; on more than one occasion a Friday night dinner resulted in a Saturday afternoon breakfast. Today the three sat in a very rustic, country-style muggle restaurant named _Andy's_. 

"You know her, Draco, she some how knows everything." Blaise leaned towards Draco, "It is extremely freaky and often times a terrible gift, in my opinion." 

Pansy threw her own straw wrapper at her boyfriend. "Oh hush you. You wouldn't get into so much trouble if you would learn to behave yourself." She said, exasperated.

Draco laughed, "Please, Pansy, Blaise couldn't even behave himself in Potions when we had Snape to answer to. There is no hope for him." They both laughed. 

As the waitress came around for their orders, the chair besides Draco pulled away from the table. 

"If I have to hear Astoria go on about one more bloody boring bloke I will actually _Avada_ her scrawny arse." The ever lovely Daphne Moon - née Greengrass - exclaimed. 

"Aw, what is poor Stori doing now?" Pansy fiend interest. 

Daphne quickly placed her own drink and meal order before turning towards Draco, "Why did you have to be gay? We could have basically been related and I wouldn't have to hear my sister talk about _another_ failed date." 

Draco shrugged, "I don't know, Daph. Why did you?" 

Daphne smirked, "Have you seen my wife? Smokin'. Also, she matches my crazy." 

"Still wondering if that's a good thing or not." Blaise spoke. 

"Of course it is! It makes a heist so much more fun and easy." 

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Please, the only thing Lily would ever steal is a flower from a park. And then she would probably cry afterwards because she realized she is basically a plant murderer."

Draco chuckled, "Leave Lils alone, she is doing her best. Where is she anyways?" 

Daphne groaned, "She had to work late. I swear the Ministry thinks it's their bloody job to keep their employees away from their families." 

They all mumbled in agreement as their waitress walked up with their food. 

The rest of the evening went by in idle chatting and catching up, like it did every monthly dinner. It wasn't until much later in the night, when Draco was saying his final goodbyes that his work's emergency bracelet began buzzing on his wrist. He cursed softly, throwing out goodbyes and dashing out of the restaurant. An alleyway was found beside the building and he jumped into it _Apparating_ quickly. 

"What's going on?" He commanded as soon as he stepped out of his office door. 

"It's the panther, sir." Thomas supplied as he quickly lead Draco towards the enchanted rooms. "Maybelle was making final passes and she couldn't sense him in the room at all so her and David went in, with guards watching of course, but as soon as they stepped in every light in the room went off and the guards dropped down unconscious and the door to the room locked itself. We haven't been able to get in or to get word from May nor David." 

They ran down the hall to the panther's room, employees throwing themselves against the walls to avoid being ran into. Upon arrival Draco found Alice Goodmen, a practice Mediwitch, along with George Fall and Beck Thompson, both from the Restraint Division standing in front of the panther's entry door.

Beck spoke up first, "We cannot get the door open. We have tried everything we can think of magical and non." 

Draco nodded in acknowledgment, quickly throwing out unlocking and counter-spells and charms. Cursing softly, Draco faced the other four, "I'm going to do an incantation that should allow me access, I need two of you to grab the door as soon as it begins falling, the other two keep your wands trained on the room in case he is ready to attack. After the door is off I'm sliding in and I need you block off the hole so nothing can escape. Clear?" 

When each person nodded, he turned back towards the door. 

Draco took a deep breath and began tapping his wand tip against each corner of the door, softly whispering, " _Liceat mihi, aliud quo nemo intrare possit, liceat mihi ad centrum._ " 

He repeated the incantation three times before the door slowly fell off it's hinges. Thomas and George grabbed the door quickly and without a second thought, Draco slipped in-between the door and the wall. 

The room was pitch black upon first entry. Even the hole in the wall that Draco slipped through was only shinning a dim light into the misty darkness of the enchanted room.

Stilling his breath, Draco quieted, listening in for any noises, but finding only the noise of soft water flowing and crickets chirping. 

Draco gripped his wand tightly and cautiously stepped further into the room. He sent out a soft whistle call. "Here, kitty."

As Draco stepped out from the trees and into the open floor, he instantly felt eyes on his chest. He continued with his cautious steps until he was in the middle of the floor. He whistled again. "Come on kitty. I'm not going to hurt you, I would just like my friends back." 

Draco squinted out towards the area he believed the cat to be in, spotting a small movement among the smallest tree's branches. He took one step closer to the tree. 

"You don't have to be afraid, I told you we only want to help." Draco's hair on his arms and neck slowly start to rise as he felt wild magic soaring around him. A bright sky blue light whipped around Draco, sending leaves and dirt into the air, leaving a dirty film over the mist. The blue magic flew in a circle before coming to a complete ring around the open floor, floating gently in air at shoulder height. Draco allowed himself to feel the confusion and amazement at the extraordinary power the cat freely showed for only a millisecond before turning back towards the tree he knew the panther laid in. When he looked up towards it, however, he found the panther not on the branches but instead walking under the ring of light slowly.

"Hello." He whispered when the cat came to a stand-still, growling softly. "Cool party trick you have here."

As he spoke the blue lights began flowing gently in the ring, almost in the motions of a soft stream. As the magic swirled, Draco's hair raised higher as the magical atmosphere became denser.

He glanced towards the light before looking back to the panther, who he noticed was void of his binding collar. "Hm. I see you didn't like your jewelry. You could've just told me it wasn't your style. You didn't have to lock your room and steal some of my co-workers to show how much you didn't like the restraint."

The panther was no longer growling at him, instead he was staring at Draco like he was the dumbest creature alive. Which, frankly, wouldn't be too far from the truth seeing as he stood making jokes while being trapped in an enchanted room that currently housed a mysteriously magical large black panther who may or may not have killed two employee of the _CDEC_ and can also apparently do an amazing amount of magic, if the magical atmosphere was any indication. 

Draco eyed the panther for a moment before stepping to the side, getting closer to the blue light. "You know, I used to work with dragons, years ago. They were very large and mighty beast. Extremely powerful in both physicality and magical ways, but you, kitty, seem to be one of the most powerful creatures I have ever had the pleasure of meeting if you were able to do all you have done tonight." 

Draco slowly lifted a hand towards the light. Only when he was mere millimetres away from contact did the panther growl out. Draco gently placed his hands back to his side. "Alright, I won't touch." He took a few paces towards the cat, confidence radiating off of his body. "I won't touch as long as you give me my friends back. You are powerful, kitten, but so am I." 

The panther held his head higher in challenge. Draco only smiled in response.

"My friends?" He requested. 

The panther stared him down for a moment more before huffing and walking into the bushes, the blue light following him. Draco hummed as he trailed along behind the strange cat. 

They walked for many minutes until they came across a small rock archway, which Draco assumed lead a cave of some sort. The panther looked back at Draco before turning towards the cave and entering, the blue light following leaving the darkness of the forest to once again surround Draco. 

Draco took a deep breath, held tightly to his wand, and entered the cave. 

The first thing he noticed was how bright the cave seemed compared to the forest outside. Where the light was coming from, Draco had no clue. There was no lanterns, no fires, no candles. Even the blue light was no longer trailing the panther. Yet, the rocky cave walls were glowing with a soft yellow and orange. Draco walked around the small circular room before noticing a set of naturally made stone steps going down next to where the large cat was sat watching Draco. 

"Are they down there?" He asked. In answer, the cat tilted his head towards the steps before descending. 

Draco walked behind the cat, nearly slipping on the last step from a puddle. He had to think quick and grab a jutted out piece of rock to keep from falling. The panther looked at Draco, amusement dancing in his eyes. 

"Yeah, ha-ha, so funny." Draco responded to the look. He glanced behind the cat and froze at the sight that laid before him. 

Both Maybelle and David laid floating in the middle of the room on a cloud of almost-translucent grey that flowed underneath their bodies in a misty haze. 

He stepped closer to the two unconscious bodies, while keeping an eye on the panther. The cat jumped up onto a large boulder off to the side, sitting down roughly, tail whipping in irritation.

His two co-workers, he noted, seemed to be in a sleep-like trance, if the small smiles and too-relaxed features that graced their faces where anything to go by. As far as Draco could see, there was no physical harm done to either of them. Draco glanced back at the panther. The large cat had his ears perked up and nose risen in the air, looking at Draco with interest and slight curiosity. The moment the cat noticed Draco looking, he quickly turned his head away and began slashing his tail around in annoyance again. 

_This is one strange animal_ , Draco thought. 

Draco paused for a moment. Clearly, this animal is powerful, extremely so, but besides the occasional growl he has shown no signs of aggression or any want to injure or kill. He could probably talk the cat into letting them go, or if not talk try and get into the feline's mind again to put him asleep, if he was able to get in that is. He could also try and take them by way of force but there were many, many reasons why that was a bad idea. Main reason being that Draco believed these show of powers were only a small portion of what the cat could do and Draco really didn't want to see more shows without a little bit of backup. 

Seeing as Draco very much didn't want to upset or anger the cat anymore than it already was, Draco began speaking. 

"Listen, kitty, I know you are scared, I understand the feeling of being trapped and feeling like you have no control, believe me I do, but I also know that acts of anger won't help you get what you truly want. And I know what you truly want is to be free again, correct? I know I have said it a lot since you came here, but we - me and my team, your hostages Maybelle and David included; are here to help you. The chain you wore wasn't just for our protection but also your own. You have strong magic inside you." 

Draco looked towards his friends before continuing, "Extremely strong. Magic is what allowed us to heal you and it is what allows this room to appear as what we are assuming to be your homeland, we weren't sure how your magic would react to the charms or our own forms of magic, so we had to have some precautions. Now that we know you won't effect our own magic, I promise you no more restraints." He took a step closer to the cat. "Please, kitty, let me take my friends back up and I promise you I will make sure that no restraints are allowed on you, as long as you let us help you."

The cat looked down at his paws for a moment before looking towards its hostages. For a moment everything was still as the panther sat with an unreadable expression staring at the floating bodies before he jumped down from the boulder and began walking underneath the victims. Draco stood back as they both began to lower, dropping softly unto the cold, stone ground. 

The panther sat in-between them with his eyes closed. Draco's breath caught as a soft white halo of light surrounded his co-workers heads. The light flowed around their heads gently before brightening and then fading away. As the last of the light faded, Maybelle and David's eyes began to open. 

The cat turned away, laying down on his boulder, facing the wall behind it, effectively turning his back on Draco and the others. 

Maybelle looked around herself with confusion before her eyes settled on Draco. "What.."

Draco shook his head. "I'll explain later. Let's get you out of here." 

As Draco began helping them walk up the small steps, he turned towards the black panther one more time. 

"Thank you." He said, firmly. 

If the panther heard Draco's words, he made no move to acknowledge them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I have had this idea floating around for a while so I decided to just write it out and see how it goes! I will be making up a few spells and incantations and thing because, well, I can. I am not the best at incantations nor Latin so if the Latin is off or incorrect I apologize. 
> 
> Liceat mihi, aliud quo nemo intrare possit, liceat mihi ad centrum : Allow me where no one else can enter, allow me to the center
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and Kudos always welcomed!


	2. Chapter 2: Draco Malfoy and the Insufferable Bookworms

Five weeks after the Maybelle and David debacle, Draco stood staring up at the solemn panther that sat high above him. Léon - a name chosen drunkenly and in great humor for the panther by Draco and Friends on their latest First Friday night dinner, laid in the tallest tree in the forest readily ignoring Draco and his attempts to interact with the panther. 

Léon, Draco thinks, is a great name for the all-or-nothing panther. Not only is it humorous in the fact that it means _lion_ in most languages, and not only does it perfectly match the stubborn and unrelenting attitude of the large cat, but it also serves as a great way for Draco to irritate the thing. Which is slowly becoming Draco's favorite pass time. 

"Léon.." Draco sang. The panther's ear twitched. "I have your favorite snack. Fresh rabbits from Joe's farm." 

The cat merely stared blankly down at Draco. Draco sighed.

The cat has been at the _CDEC_ for over a full month now and Draco has made barely any progress with the bloody beast. After the incident that first night he was here, the panther had turned a cold shoulder on everyone who tries to interact with him. He saves his coldest shoulders for his double daily visits with Draco however. No matter what Draco tries, the cat sits up in the trees, not moving a single muscle. He occasionally will look at Draco, always with the same cold, blank expression but mostly he looks out into the tiny pond that had been added to the room. Draco would be worried that the cat has fallen into a deep depression, but when no one is in the room the cat eats normally, plays in the water and among the trees and bushes, and even sometimes plays with the Big Cat toys Thomas had purchased two weeks prior. 

He only seems to clam up when in the presence of people. Draco is determined to open the panther up. 

Luckily, no other magical incident has happened since that first night. The cat occasionally uses his gifts to move objects or trip Draco as he walks around the jungle, but besides that no one would ever know that the panther had any form of magical energy at all. 

Draco slipped out of his sunflower yellow sweater, the cold mist of the forest nipping at his exposed arms. He grabbed a few of the dead rabbits by the ears, tying them to himself with a rope, and then grabbed a hold to the magically sturdy set of vines and began climbing. 

"You won't come down," Draco grunted. "Than I will go up." 

Draco had almost made it all the way to the top of the vines before he noticed the slight tingle of magic surrounding his hands. He looked up, startled at the cat who had moved positions and was now sitting upright on the branch, tailing hanging down loosely. 

"Léon.." Draco warned. 

Léon sent an innocent look Draco's way as the vines began the slowly snap apart.

Draco's eyes got big as he realized what the cat was doing. He quickly drew his wand, but a shock went right through his wand hand and he had no choice but to sit watching his only chance for a painless fall fall down to the bushes below. 

He glanced up at the vines in his clutch. Time seemed to slow as the last of vines split away from each other, Draco felt all his breath leave him, and his mind instantly sending him to the worst of his nightmares. 

Draco looked up, no longer were there thick, jungle branches or bright green leaves. The enchanted blue, sunny sky was dimming to black. The panther who sat upon the branch, whose expression was slowly morphing into worry and regret, unbenounced to Draco, slipped out of Draco's vision. Instead, Draco saw flames. Streaks of oranges, yellows, reds and deep blues formed all around him, swallowing him slowly. He tried to scream out, but his voice was just as trapped as he was. He tried to scream towards the person floating on a broom above him, but they only looked down at Draco with joy, glad to see Draco pay for all he has done. 

Just as quickly as the visions began, they stopped. He wasn't falling any longer, he was now floating. Floating on something soft and warm. Something inviting. Draco's lungs, which must have fallen at a slower rate than the rest of him, finally caught up to his body and he could breath again. He breathed deeply for a few moments before wiggling his toes, then his fingers, then his feet and hands. When all limbs and appendages seemed to be intact and not retching in pain, he looked around himself.

The same translucent-grey cloud that May and David had laid on all those weeks ago now surrounded Draco. Draco reached out a hand and gentle pushed it through the cloud. The velvety smooth smoke swirled around Draco's hand, tickling his palm. He smiled in wonder as the color of the smoke changed from translucent grey to a hazy lilac. 

Draco startled as the cloud slowly began to move downward, disappearing entirely as he was placed onto the soft, damp forest floor. A large black orb peered over Draco's head, blocking the afternoon sun. Draco's eyes had to adjust to the shade that the orb provided. 

The orb wasn't an orb at all. It was the large head of a panther, the same panther that nearly almost just killed Draco. Draco was about to stand up in rage - or at least try to stand; but froze when he saw the deep sorrow and regret shinning through the panther's deep green eyes. Draco realized at that moment how much lighter and brighter the cat's eyes had gotten since his first arrival. The deep hunter green had brighten up to a soft jade color over the past few weeks. But now, they were nearly as dark as they were when Draco met him that first night. 

Léon let out a soft mournful yowl, placing his nose on Draco's forehead. Draco had to close his eyes and take a deep breath as not only the intense emotions he had just had to go through crashed into him, but also the soothing magic that was washing over him soothed his aches. 

He lifted a hand slowly towards Léon. He hesitated, but threw cation towards the wind he just fell through and touched the panther's soft head. The fur was just as soft as Draco remembered it being a few weeks ago. He slowly began dragging his hand up from the nose that was still pressed against his forehead to in-between the feline's black ears. He lifted his hand and repeated the movement over and over. 

After a few stroked, a soft purring began above him. Draco closed his eyes, smiling softly as he continued his calming strokes. 

He wasn't sure how long they were there, Léon pressing his nose against Draco's forehead and Draco petting him, eliciting the most calming sounds of purring from the large cat, but when Draco finally moved again his legs were stiff and his back and arse ached more than usual. 

He sat up slowly, Léon walking around him till he was sat in the front of Draco. The panther's eyes, which had lighten just a little bit again, ran over Draco's body before settling on Draco's eyes. 

The cat's mind was still as closed as ever but Draco could still hear an echoing of _'I'm sorry'_ going through his skull. 

Draco's brows knitted in confusion at the human words. "What are you kitty?" Draco whispered. 

Léon's eyes brightened a hair at the endearment that Draco has found himself extremely fond of for the large feline, letting out a hesitant chirp. 

Draco chuckled. "You're lucky you're cute and I'm hard-headed, Léon. That wasn't very nice what you did." 

Léon's head fell down, looking ashamed of himself. He looked up at Draco and took a step toward him, and then another, and then another until they were face to face with each other. He leaned his head close to Draco's and then his tongue darted out and licked a hot, wet streak up Draco's face. 

A full laugh jumped out of Draco at the movement. "Okay, Okay." He chuckled as the cat licked his face again. "You're forgiven, kitty. You're forgiven." 

The panther laid down and placed his head upon Draco's knee, looking up at him. 

Those eyes, those brilliant green eyes that were slowly getting brighter as he looked up at Draco constantly taking Draco's breath away. The contrast from the darkness of his skin and fur to the brightness of the green was simply breath taking. This panther was truly astonishingly beautiful. Draco ran his hand down the cat's head twice before slowly removing it from his knee and standing up. 

"I have to go, Léon. It'll be meal time soon and I promise I would handle today's shift." Draco released the rabbits that still hung around his waist, dropping them unceremoniously into the extra metal bowl besides Léon's water dish. "I'll see you tomorrow kitty." 

Draco began walking away, surprised when the cat began walking beside him. Not close enough to touch, but close enough for Draco to reach down and pet the black fur again. 

Draco smiled softly at the panther, who sat down once they had made it to the door. "Be good, kitty."

*****

The rest of the week wasn't smooth sailing for Draco and Léon, but after the near-death experience Léon had shown great improvement with interactions. He still didn't acknowledge Draco much, only a twitch of an ear or a slight head tilt when curious about something Draco was doing. But through the week he stayed down from his tree, instead choosing to lay down by the pond and watch the fish swim around the shallow water. Something odd, Draco had noticed while watching Léon from the cameras that were placed in every enchanted room, was that the panther never hunted. There were a few creatures in the forest - insects, birds, a few hares; and now there was a pond filled when a variety of fish yet the panther never hunted. He never has even tried to hunt anything since the day he arrived; Draco went to the older videos to check if he had or not and found himself in shock that the cat has never even attempted to hunt anything. 

It seemed that every day he spends with the moody cat the stranger he becomes. Besides the vines incident and a few levitated items, the cat also never uses the powers that he possesses. When Draco would mention the powers to the cat, Léon would simply turn away from Draco and lay his head down. After the first few attempts of trying to coax the magic or the animal's thoughts out with _Legilimency_ failed, Draco gave up, but only in order to search for another way to get the cat to show him more. 

The other issues of this case - the investigation of where he came from and what he really is mainly; where at a complete standstill. The past month and few weeks, he has looked over every possible book he could get his hands on about rare creatures and magical beings but all for nothing. Every book he came across in both the local library and the few left over books that he was able to save from the Manor held nothing of importance. It was as if this creature was a brand new creature to this world. If the creature even _is_ a creature. 

Everyday he has spent at least four hours in the cat's presence, not including Saturdays and Sundays unless it was his weekend shift, he finds himself questioning the mentality of the cat every day. The more time he spends with the cat, the more his gut is screaming at him that this animal isn't just an animal. 

Draco has also attempted to hunt down Marcus and the Goonie Boys, but to no avail. Like usual, once the trade was over they took their exchange and fell off the face of the earth. Even the people - aka the criminals - that ran around Marcus' turf had no clue about the whereabouts of Marcus nor any information involving a large cat. 

So, like previously mentioned, Draco was at a complete and utter stand still. 

That's why, against his own better judgement, he called for help from one of the brightest and well-versed in magical and non-magical creatures witch he could find, the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures herself: Hermione Granger. Technically, Hermione Granger-Weasley but Draco refuses to acknowledge that piece of information. Not because its _Weasley_ , but simply because it was a stupid ass name. And also maybe, just a tiny bit because it was Weasley. 

"Draco." Granger said politely upon entering Draco's office. After working together on a case when Draco had first arrived home, Granger insisted that they call each other by their given names, seeing as they were _adults_ now and no longer had to abide by school rivalry practices. Draco insisted that she send that idea on a portkey to Timbuktu for all he cared. 

"Granger." Draco replied, enjoying the annoyed glare she sent his way.

She rolled her eyes as she fully stepped into the room, shutting the door behind herself. "Why are you like this?" She asked, exasperated. 

Draco shrugged. "Some people say it's childhood trauma, I say it's because even after all these year, watching Gryffindors squirm and lose their tempers is still one of my favorite pass-times."

Granger stared at him blankly for a moment. She closed her eyes, taking a shallow breath. "So. The panther. I've read the reports you sent, also read the books as well as did my own research, which I'm not a hundred percent finished with yet, and I understand where the frustration is coming from. I have found no animals with the powers you have written on the reports nor have I found anything remotely similar to the magic and the physicality of said panther." 

Draco gestured the to chair in front of his desk. "His name is Léon."

Granger raised an eyebrow as she sat down stiffly. "You named the magical panther a name that means _Lion?"_

Draco shrugged. "Yeah. It seemed fitting for him. Plus it aggravates him just a little bit which I have come to enjoy."

"You enjoy irritating your charges?" She asked concern lacing her voice. 

Rolling his eyes, Draco replied, "Oh don't get you're knickers in twist, Granger. He gives as good as he gets. Plus, I think he enjoys our little spats. Keeps him entertained."

She pushed a curly piece of hair that fell out of her eccentric-looking bun, quickly changing the subject to be back on task. "I have a lot of books in my office and at home on various creatures, I have looked through most of my office books, but not the home books as of yet. There is a lot of material, I believe it would be easiest if we did research together. Not only would we get through the information faster but we could also bounce ideas off of each other."

"Alright." Draco agreed. He paused as he saw her playing with her wedding ring, a sign he has learned meant she was either hiding something or worried about something. "What is it, Granger?" 

She moved her other hand away from the ring, quickly. "Nothing. It's nothing." 

"Granger." He said sternly. 

"Look, Draco," She said as her eyes danced around the room, avoiding Draco's eyes. "It's nothing truly. Personal stuff, nothing to do with the case." 

Draco as always been very gifted in _Legilimency_ and _Occlumency,_ having been trained by the _Occlumency_ God, Severus Snape, at a very young age. Due to this gift, he finds himself often times slipping into other's minds without meaning too. Draco usually catches himself before he slips too far into the persons' psyche, but he still always catches a few words before he slips out. 

That's why he froze when the words _'I hope'_ slip into his mind with a frightened sounding Granger voice. What personal stuff could possibly have to do with an overcharged with magic panther? 

He decided, just for now, to leave this little _'I hope'_ situation alone. Instead of commenting on it he said: "Well, what ever the Weasel did I hope you can leave it away from me and can stay focused on the tasks at hand."

Granger huffed. "It has nothing to do with Ron - and don't call him that." She turned her Marguise cut wedding ring back and forth on her finger. "Of course I can distance myself from.. personal issues while working, Draco. I know you are unfamiliar with the concept but some of us know how to be professional."

Draco leaned back in his chair, sliding his feet elegantly on top of his desk and crossing his ankles. "Now, Granger, you know I am extremely professional. I bet you fifteen Galleons that if you looked up professional in one of your many, many books you will see my dashing face, smiling brightly." 

Granger took another breath in. "I swear if this magical cat doesn't kill me the annoying ass dragon will." She muttered as she stood up. "As much as I love getting to catch up with you, Draco, I must be off. I have many obligations this week as well as this weekend, but I'll owl you if anything changes. If not, would you be free to begin Monday evening? We can meet in my office and work there."

Draco shrugged, picking up the magazine he was reading before Granger showed up, blindly. "Yes, that works for me. See you than, Granger." 

She walked out, pausing right after she stepped through the threshold. "Oh, and Draco?" 

He raised one single eyebrow in question. 

"Just so you know, I don't think you'll find anything useful in reading _Witch Weekly_." 

Draco glanced down, cheeks pinking as he realized he grabbed Pansy magazine instead of his own latest edition of _Which Broomstick?_

Granger walked away giggling as Draco stared at the empty space in the door quietly seething. 

*****

True to word, Granger wasn't able to meet with Draco until Monday evening. Draco had spent the remainder of the week and most of the weekend being ignored by the black panther and reading book after book. When he was done with the books he had in his possession, he began analyzing all of them just to be certain he didn't miss anything important.

By Monday morning he felt if he looked at anymore books he would have no choice but to off himself by placing his head in the middle of two books and slamming them together. Which was a real shame because one: he now has to spent an entire evening with Granger while looking through even more books and two: he knows Granger would never allow him to hurt her books by slamming his head in between them. 

Luckily, he was able to get a list of a few speculating ideas he has come up with. 

  1. _Form of a new black market Animagus potion or Transfiguration charm_
  2. _Animal Experiment gone wrong_
  3. _~~Possible Maledictus?~~ _
  4. _Animal Experiment gone right?_



It wasn't a big list, nor was it a very useful one, but it was a list all the same. 

Draco placed the sheet of parchment on the small coffee table in front of him as he leaned back into the still leather couch. He looked around the room, surprised to see the mess that littered the small office. In the handful of times Draco has been to Granger's office, it has always been extremely clean. Almost unnaturally clean. Without the few picture frames placed around the room, the rows of clearly personal books and the cloak that seemed to have a permanent residency hanging off of the back of the office chair, no one would believe this office belong to anyone. 

Today, it looked the complete opposite. It looked exactly how Draco's office often looked, tea cups and coffee mugs placed haphazardly on flat surfaces, piles of books thrown on tables, a few even thrown on the floor, open magazines spread out on Granger's desk, one of which had a deep ink stain due to the inkwell tipping over. 

It was strange seeing the room in such a mess. Even though Draco is used to these kinds of messes, it still made his skin crawl and he felt a desire to clean. 

Before he could, the door to the office flew open, a mess of bushy hair flying through it and slamming it as soon as she could. 

Granger mumbled to herself as she walked in, eyes dancing around the floor. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail she had it in, only to fly it up into a messy bun soon after. 

"Alright, Granger?" Draco asked from where he stood in-between the couch and the coffee table. 

Granger jerked back, eyes widening as she took in the sight of Draco standing among the mess. "Oh, Merlin, Draco, hi.. I'm sorry about the mess." She walked further into the room, picking up a few books from the floor. "It's usually not like this, sorry, just things have been- well, you know. Well, actually you don't know, but, just, sorry. I-"

"Granger." Draco interupted, walking over to the frantic women. "It's okay. Breath. You have seen my office, believe me this doesn't faze me at all." He grabbed the stack of books she held, placing them back up on her book shelf. 

Granger ran a hand over her face, letting out a deep sigh. As her hand moved away, Draco noticed how pale she looked compared to the other day. He also noticed the deep dark rings mooning her eyes, her lips which looked chapped with a small indention on one side, as if she has been chewing on it for days straight. 

"Granger, is everything alright?"

She took an even deeper breath in, leaning her back against her desk, knocking over one of the picture frames. She didn't notice.

"Yes, it's fine. Everything is, well, it's just-"

Draco put a hand up before she could start her rambling again. "Granger, really, what's going on? You look horrible." 

She let out a dry laugh, rubbing her face again. "Wow, thanks Draco. You really know how to make a girl feel better." 

"Not sure how much you know, but girls aren't really my forte." He smirked.

She let out another laugh, this one sounding a little more real. "Yeah, I guess they aren't, hm?" She crossed her arms over her chest before directing her attention to the stack of books on the coffee table. "I have been trying to look through a few more books, but things have been hectic around here so I haven't had much time to focus on it, I'm sorry."

Draco shrugged. "It's alright. You said you were busy last week so I assumed you wouldn't have gotten much done on the panther case. I have finished looking through my collection of books and I came up with a small list of probabilities but none of them have any form of base."

Granger glanced over the sheet. "No, I mean, this is a start. We can look for other options while also looking more into these. Why is one of them crossed out?" 

"Oh, I thought about Maledictus when I was looking through my animgi books but there was way too many holes in the theory. None of it really added up, especially seeing as Léon is male. There was also no indication that he was one from the tests we took.” Draco let out a deep sigh. “That's what is so weird about all of this is that there seems to be no indication that the panther is anything but a panther." 

Granger shrugged as she took a seat behind the desk, gesturing Draco to sit as well. "Do you think there is a possibility that Léon is just a panther that just happens to have powers?" 

Draco shook his head. "No, there is no way he is just a magical panther. Believe me, I have spent nearly every day with the cat and even from day one he acts like a person stuck in a cat's body. He understands what I am saying, not just in a command sort of aspect but when I talk to him he understands. When he isn't being a little shit and he chooses to actually acknowledge my existence he answers me in his body language and in chirps occasionally. And his _eyes_ , if I thought he was just an animal that happen to be understanding, one look into his eyes and you would know instantly that he is more than just an animal. Last week, I swear he even-" Draco cut himself off, unsure if he should tell her what happened with the vines. 

He hadn't told anyone, only vaguely mentioning the show of powers in the reports, choosing to leave out the near death experience. 

"He what, Draco?" Granger asked. 

"I know it might sound crazy, but I swore I heard him say 'I'm sorry' to me last week. There was an accident and I almost got hurt by it but he kind of saved me and then I heard the words 'I'm sorry' in my mind, in a voice that wasn’t mine. Another strange thing is that I can’t get into his mind. I have never, not once come across an animal or even another person besides You-Know-Who and Snape that has walls built up so strongly around ones mind as Léon does."

They sat in silence for a minute thinking. 

"Do you think.." Granger hesitated. "From the reports it says that he has no ounce of wizardry or witch in him but what about muggle? His DNA was clearly not wizard nor witch, so do you think it’s possible he could be a muggle caught up in magic?" 

"No, I don’t see how that could be possible. Even if he was a muggle that pissed a witch or wizard off, I don’t believe he would possess the amount of power he has. Granger, that cat is lousy with power." 

Granger was quiet for a moment, looking at Draco thoughtfully. “Would it be possible for me to meet Léon?”   
  
Draco shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Not sure how much you will get out of him. He has basically shunned all humans.”

She nodded. "Okay, I should be free Thursday, does that day work for you?” Draco nodded. “Good. Why don't we start looking into the list and see what else we can find." 

Draco nodded and together they began to research. 


End file.
